Sensory processing sensitivity profiles and self-reported mental effort and concentration across pedagogical contexts among social services and healthcare students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Changes in higher education and evolving pedagogical practices have increased the diversity of cognitive, emotional, and social demands experienced by students, highlighting the need to understand individual differences, including sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). Aim To identify SPS profiles among social services and healthcare students and examine whether self-reported mental effort and concentration across selected pedagogical contexts differed between the profiles. Design A cross-sectional study. Participants 1185 social and healthcare higher education students across Finland. Methods The data were collected with the SPS Questionnaire (43 items) during 2024–2025. K-means clustering and One-way ANOVA were employed to analyse the profiles of SPS. The associated pedagogical factors were analysed using Chi-square tests. The STROBE guidelines were followed. Results Five distinct SPS profiles emerged, differing significantly in sensitivity, emotional reactivity, and pedagogical responses. Profiles characterised by higher emotional and physiological reactivity (Profiles 2, 4, and 5) generally reported greater mental effort and more concentration difficulties, particularly in socially demanding and performance-based situations such as group work, oral presentations, and simulations. In contrast, low-reactive profiles (Profiles 1 and 3) demonstrated stable concentration and lower cognitive load across learning contexts. Conclusions Pedagogical methods do not influence all students equally. Instructional approaches that involve intense social interaction, performance exposure, or high cognitive demands may disproportionately increase stress and cognitive load for highly reactive learners. Designing inclusive, psychologically safe, and adaptive learning environments that consider SPS-related differences can support student well-being, learning effectiveness, and sustainable professional development in social and healthcare education.